Kolon Benit said on Jan. 9 that it will make this year the first year of its shift to "autonomous manufacturing" and strengthen its manufacturing digital transformation (DX) capabilities.
The autonomous manufacturing process as defined by Kolon Benit refers to an environment that integrates data from all manufacturing processes, including workers' skilled experience, and management information such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) and supply chain management (SCM) into a single data platform. Based on this, artificial intelligence (AI) judges and controls the optimal operating conditions and quality of the process, aiming to realize a completely unmanned factory (Dark Factory) in which the plant learns and runs on its own.
Kolon Benit's unmanned factory is built around its in-house manufacturing DX package product "r-CoCoAna (Alcocoana)." r-CoCoAna is a solution that vertically integrates an information technology (IT) platform spanning the entire manufacturing domain, from the automation equipment layer to AI services and a Digital Twin-based remote integrated control system.
By linking on-site control systems such as DCS and PLC with its AI solutions, it analyzes process data in real time, and AI determines optimal operating conditions for real-time control. It also builds an integrated operation system that implements IT systems such as ERP, SCM and MES, and AI operating models as a Digital Twin, enabling remote, at-a-glance visibility into the entire plant and swift responses to key issues.
The company said that through this vertically integrated structure, corporations can manage manufacturing processes in real time from remote locations without on-site data gaps, and respond to key issues quickly and flexibly.
Kolon Benit has established a dedicated consulting organization to support customers' successful AI transformation (AX) and manufacturing digital transformation. The newly formed manufacturing DX consulting team provides end-to-end services, from diagnosing the digital maturity of customer manufacturing sites to designing automation equipment and sourcing required resources, building and operating autonomous process systems, and internalizing on-site data analysis capabilities. Through this, customers can systematically establish and execute mid- to long-term strategies for transitioning to autonomous manufacturing.
Over the past three years, Kolon Benit has led digital innovation at Kolon Group's manufacturing affiliates and has gradually applied autonomous manufacturing processes to Kolon Industries, Kolon Glotech, Kolon ENP, Kolon Life Science and Kolon Pharmaceutical. A representative case, Kolon Industries' Gimcheon Plant 2, applied quality prediction, vision AI, advanced process control, optimal production conditions and optimal condition execution to its phenolic resin production process, improving both quality stability and productivity.
Executive Director Jeong Sang-seop, who oversees Kolon Benit's manufacturing DX business, said, "We will accelerate the shift to autonomous manufacturing that integrates every layer, from on-site automation equipment to data and AI services."